Rebirth
by SilverWolfFire
Summary: After Caim and Angelus died in Drakengard 2, they get a chance to be reborn. As they try to figure out their new lives and find each other again, they fall in love and find strength in each other to overcome the obstacles before them. What challenges await them in their second lives? Will they find everlasting peace and happiness, or will the past repeat itself?
1. Bardo

It's SilverWolfFire again! :D

After their death in Drakengard 2, Caim and Angelus get a chance to be reborn and live life all over again.

Each character in this story will look as they do in the game. Their ages are the same, too. Caim is 24, Furiae is 19, Inuart is 20, and Angelus will be 24.

Enjoy!

Note: I find this interesting, but I'm not Buddhist. In Tibetan Buddism, bardo is the state of the soul between death and rebirth. It varies between 7 and 49 days, depending on the person's conduct in the previous life, and the age at and manner of death.

* * *

Caim and Angelus were flying in Heaven when they noticed a bright ball of light circling them.

"What the hell is that?" Caim asked.

"I am not sure," Angelus replied. She twisted her head back to look at Caim. "Shall we follow it and see where it goes?"

"Eh, why not?" Caim shrugged. "It's not like we have anything better to do."

The two followed the ball of light to an empty space in the clouds. They could see the earth beneath them, but it looked like there was a sort of film around the area, making it a bit blurry. Words in Japanese were written before the area on a cloud.

"Look, Caim! It seems as if there's a spell," Angelus said after Caim had dismounted. She began to read, "'Whoever reads these words will unlock an ancient power that will lead you to happiness.'" As soon as she finished reading the words, they turned blue and two circles surrounded Angelus and Caim's feet. They were bathed in a blue glow, and Caim began to doubt coming here in the first place.

A brown-haired, brown-eyed angel appeared, and then spoke. "It's alright," she said. She smiled before continuing. "This spell is ancient, and hardly anyone's used it. It simply restores your life on earth with the promise of a second life, to right the wrongs that you did and to give you a different, happier ending. Of course, you will have to start as babies, but don't worry—time goes fast. The spell actually changes depending on each person's situation. Let's see here…" A few more lines of Japanese appeared before the angel's feet.

"'Two lives will be reborn, and they will find the happiness that they could not find the first time. It will be a long, hard road, but in the end, true love will conquer all, earning these two souls and hearts the happiness that they wanted. Social rank will divide them and present numerous challenges, but through their love, they will prove that rank does not matter in affairs of the heart.'" The angel looked up and smiled. "Good luck, you two. I'll be watching."

"What is your name?" Angelus asked as the light around her feet started to glow.

"Victoria," the angel said.

"Thank you, Victoria," Angelus said. She took one last look at Caim before saying, "We will meet again, Caim. I am sure of it. In case we do not, just know that I love you, and that I do not regret anything that we did in our first lifetime together."

Caim nodded. "I feel the same way, Angelus," he said as the light around his feet turned white. After the two had vanished in a flash of light, Victoria stood for a minute, pondering what her wish for Caim and Angelus would be.

After a full minute of thinking, she finally whispered, "I'll make sure you find each other. I won't let anything stand in your way. I could see that you two are entirely devoted to each other, and you went to great lengths to be with each other again. I will do what I can to make sure that you two live happy, full lives." She smiled and went to her post, ready to observe Caim and Angelus as they lived down on earth once more.

9 months later, prince Caim was born to a black-haired, blue-eyed queen named Adella and a brown-haired king named Walter Hartford. Angelus was born to an unmarried, red-haired, green-eyed commoner named Grace Jackson.

Victoria smiled. "This time, Caim, you will be normal, and live the proper life of a prince. As for you, Angelus, you will gain a new appreciation of the humans around you and experience life as a common person. Once again, I give you the best of luck, and wish you everlasting happiness and love."


	2. Dreams

To my readers:

This is the second version of chapter 2. After posting the first version and realizing that I did not like the second half of it, I went back and rewrote it. I feel that this second version contributes more to the story and prolongs it a little more. I hope that you enjoy this second version and review.

On another note, Manah is 48, and Nowe is 42. The princess of Delmar, Louise Lamira, is 22. (If she annoys or creeps you out, then I feel that I've done my job. :) )

Thank you, and happy reading!

SilverWolfFire

* * *

**24 years later…**

Caim, now an educated young prince, was riding around on his horse and making mental notes about the town's status. As he rode, he noticed that girls were squealing and giggling excitedly after he rode presumably out of earshot. Caim sighed slightly and rolled his eyes. He was above them in social rank, and yet they made it a point to annoy him with their girlish, naïve fantasies of marrying him, or, (Caim shuddered at the thought) having his children.

Caim's friend, Inuart, rode up beside him on his brown horse, Theodore. Inuart's red hair swished around his face as the wind blew it in every direction possible, and his brown eyes shone with happiness. "Hello, Caim," he said kindly. Caim glanced at Inuart before speaking. Caim noticed that Inuart's eyes had a look to them that made him think that Inuart was hiding something. He decided to not ask Inuart about it yet, just in case it was something he didn't feel like talking about at the moment.

"Good morning, Inuart," Caim said. He gave an exasperated sigh. His black horse, Bruce, sneezed and nickered at a white mare that was drawing a cart.

"Is something wrong?" Inuart asked.

"It's just that all the women in this town want me, and I do not want them. I want someone else, Inuart. The thing is is that I have…" Caim trailed off, not sure of how to continue for a moment. He considered telling Inuart about his dreams, decided against it, then finished with, "…Never mind. My point is that these women do not appeal to me and annoy me to no end with their giggling and talk of fantasies that will never come true."

Later on, when Caim was studying a book on swordsmanship, he stopped paying attention halfway through and got lost in his thoughts. Caim felt his eyelids grow heavy and he didn't remember closing them as he fell asleep.

_Caim ran into the courtyard and was surprised by what he saw. Right in front of him was a red dragon with white horns. It had spears sticking out of its back and was chained to the ground. It appeared to be dead. Caim noticed that the words "Resistors shall land in hell" were written on the ground in blood in front of the dragon's head._

_ "A dragon!" Caim breathed. As he walked closer to the beast, he heard faint growls coming from it. As he stared at the dragon, memories of his parents dying flashed before his eyes. As he remembered how his mother was impaled by the black dragon's claw and his father hung limply from the dragon's mouth, Caim's blood began to boil. He walked in front of the dragon's head, sword at his side. Once more, memories of his dead parents flashed through his mind. With a scream, he raised his sword above the dragon's head, ready to kill it in an instant._

_ The red dragon raised its head. "Kill me if you desire, but you can never dirty my soul, wretched human." Caim gasped at the sound of its, or, rather, her voice._

_ Caim paused for a moment before addressing the female dragon. "Tell me… Do you still want to live, dragon?"_

_ The dragon's head tilted a little, and her mouth opened. A growl came out as she asked, "What?"_

_ "A pact!" Caim demanded. "There's no other way." The dragon's mouth closed and she jerked her head up defiantly._

_ "Hmph! What makes you worthy of a pact with me?" She asked, her mouth opening and emitting growls as she spoke._

_ "Worthy or not, I wish to live! Despise me if you will, but I shall not die!" Caim's wound on his back was bleeding with more intensity than it was before, and he could feel himself start to die. "Your answer… A pact, or death?"_

Caim's eyes snapped open, and he realized that he was sweating, breathing hard, and, quite frankly, flipping out. What had triggered that dream, and why was there a _dragon_ in it? Caim had never seen a dragon in his life—he had heard that they had disappeared 24 years ago—and didn't remember hearing of them, so why was he suddenly dreaming about one? The thing that scared him the most was that it had felt familiar, almost _too_ familiar for his comfort. When he thought about it for a minute more, he realized that it felt like it had happened before, that he knew the dragon well, that maybe she was out there, except this time, she wasn't a dragon…

_Now I am just being stupid,_ Caim thought. _How can a dragon become a woman, anyway? _

Caim heard his mother call for dinner, and Caim wiped his eyes and attempted to clear his still half-asleep, confused, and freaked out mind. _Maybe eating and talking about normal things will help me,_ he thought as he shuffled down the stairs.

His father, a tall, brown-haired man, greeted Caim warmly as he placed the massive turkey on the table. He then carved it in a matter of minutes, and everyone started eating. Caim noticed that his sister, Furiae, looked nervous.

"What's the matter?" he asked her.

Caim saw Furiae jump a little in her seat due to being startled, snap out of her thoughts and reply quickly, "Oh, it's nothing."

"I know that look, dear," Caim and Furiae's mother, Adella, said gently. "Please tell us what's wrong."

Caim saw Furiae pause, probably uncertain of how to handle the pressure. She then placed her left hand on the table and said softly, "Inuart proposed to me today. We're to be married." At this news, Caim saw his parents beam.

"That's wonderful, dear!" her mother gushed. "I'm so proud of you." Furiae's face turned redder than the beets on her plate at this.

Her father, Walter, laughed. "That Inuart will make a fine husband, I'm sure of it."

Caim smiled, glad that his sister had met someone who would take care of her. "If he breaks your heart, I will break his face so hard that he won't be able to put it back on again," he promised. _ That's what he was hiding from me earlier today!_ The thought made him smile again.

"Caim!" his mother said, slightly taken aback by her son's comment. "Please, not at the dinner table."

Furiae smiled at this, and looked gratefully at Caim. Caim smiled back, knowing that she would be in good hands with Inuart.

After Caim returned to his bedchambers, he thought about his previous dream some more. After deciding that he was too tired to think properly, he changed into his nightclothes and went to sleep.

The next morning, Caim woke to the sun streaming in through the windows of his bedroom. He got up, bathed, and dressed quickly. He felt that something momentous was going to happen soon, and he didn't know what. It made his blood burn with anticipation.

Miles away from the castle, in a house outside the castle grounds, a woman with bright red hair and yellow eyes slept.

_Dead and bloody bodies lay scattered across a courtyard in a castle. A brown-haired, blue-eyed man who was fatally wounded staggered towards the chained and bloody dragon. "Resistors shall land in hell" was written in blood on the ground in front of the dragon's head. The man continued to stagger towards the dragon, leaning on his sword to support himself while breathing heavily._

_"Now… Your answer," he said._

_The dragon growled while speaking. "A pact, or death? We are united by our need to live." She gazed down her nose at the dying man._

_"Well?" the man asked._

_"Yes," The dragon said. "A pact." The man looked at his right hand as he raised it. He then pressed his hand into his chest and it faded from view. As the man reached inside his chest to take out his soul, light and strange sounds were emitted as he howled with pain. The dragon moved her head around, opening her mouth and also moaning in pain. The man finally stopped howling and took a white ball of light with a red center out from his chest._

_The dragon's soul appeared in her mouth a few seconds later, looking similar to the man's heart. The two glanced at their exposed hearts and pushed them together, forming a spark and creating a blinding flash of light. The man was healed of his wounds and his armor was made new again in a flash of light, and the dragon struggled against her chains and broke them easily. With her full strength returned, the dragon flared her wings and roared, with the man now on the base of her neck. He turned his head to the right and looked up at the sky. The dragon tensed her leg muscles and in one mighty leap, took off into the sky while flapping her wings._

Angelus woke up in her bed and realized that she had dreamed about forming a pact with an unknown man. The dreams always made her feel strange, like she was the dragon, and that she knew the man. She felt a desire to find him and confirm that he was indeed the man in her dreams. She then chided herself for being stupid—there was no way that she was the dragon, or even that such a man existed. Angelus got up, bathed, and dressed, still confused about her dream.

Angelus was milking the cow when her mother, Grace, called her for breakfast. She enjoyed her common life, but felt as if there was something more waiting for her just over the horizon. She told her mother that she was going to the orphanage and that she would go to the market afterwards, so that way she could come home in time for her mother to cook dinner with fresh food.

Angelus' mother gave her some money and said, "Spend it wisely, dear."

"Don't worry, mother. I will," she said and gave her mother a peck on the cheek before leaving.

Angelus made the long trek to the castle grounds, and opened the orphanage door.

"Miss Angelus!" Five little voices greeted Angelus excitedly as she walked in and bent down to greet them all.

"Hello, little ones!" She said happily while hugging each of the children individually. Angelus didn't care how many children there were—she was determined to make them all happy in some way, even more so because they didn't have parents. After a while of playing with the children and reading to them, they fell asleep. Angelus took the opportunity to clean up the mess that the children had made and sat down in a chair. She thought about her dream once more, and decided that she would have to make an effort to find the man who was in them.

Caim and his father had been practicing swordsmanship for two hours straight. Caim had been trying to not remember his dream from the previous night, but he found that as the hours went on, he became increasingly distracted. Caim was lost in thought when his father swung his sword and knocked Caim down. Walter wordlessly came over to Caim.

"Caim," his father said after helping his son up, "are you alright? You've been distracted lately, and even moreso now."

Caim felt a bit of annoyance surge within him. "I'm alright, father! Stop worrying about me!" he said forcefully as he prepared to swing at his father again. After their sparring session, Caim said that he was headed out to the town to walk around and get some fresh air.

Walter said, "Remember, Caim, that you must be back by six in the evening."

"Why?" Caim asked. Caim then remembered why right after he asked the question.

"That's why," his mother said. His facial expression told her that he had remembered who this night's visitor was.

Caim nodded. "Alright. I'll make sure to be back by six." After dinner, Caim trudged up to his room to change, feeling tired. He was also eager to see how the town around the castle was fairing, and simultaneously dreaded the arrival of the princess of Delmar. Ever since Caim had turned 22, his parents had been inviting princesses from all over the land to visit in the hopes that Caim would like one enough to start courting her. However, each of their attempts had been mostly met with Caim's dislike of the princess, except for the princess of Aldair. Caim thought she was somewhat attractive and had better manners that the other princesses, but he still couldn't find the right one. He was getting worried because there weren't that many more princesses left for him to see and choose from. As a result of Furiae's recent engagement, his parents were starting to increase the frequency of his meetings with the nearby princesses.

The fresh air did wonders for Caim. He felt free from his duties as a prince for once, and made a mental note get out more often. He wandered the streets, hoping that he could find an answer to his dreams and possibly get out of meeting the princess tonight. He lost himself in his thoughts and realized that he had bumped into a brown-haired, blue-eyed man.

"I'm sorry," Caim apologized.

"It's alright," the man laughed. His eyes widened a little. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be prince Caim, would you?"

Caim was shocked that this man knew his name. "Yes," Caim said, unsure of what to make of this new person.

"I'm Nowe," Nowe said while extending a hand to Caim. Caim shook Nowe's hand, and Nowe continued, "You look hungry. How about you come back to my house and I'll get you something to eat?" Caim's stomach rumbled at that moment.

"Uh, alright. Thank you, Nowe," Caim said. He and Nowe walked the twenty minute trip back to Nowe's house in silence. Nowe then opened the door to his house and closed it behind Caim.

"It's quaint," Caim said. In case Nowe took offense, he added, "I like it."

"Thank you, Caim," Nowe said. "I'll put some tea on for you if you'd like."

Caim nodded. "That sounds wonderful."

Nowe smiled and put some water in a pot over the fire. "So," he began, "how are things at your castle?"

"Ah, they're okay so far." Nowe looked confused at this.

"Why is it just okay?" he asked.

"I've been having strange dreams," Caim confessed to Nowe. He was secretly hoping that Nowe would possibly know more about the red dragon and what he had to do with her.

"About what?" Nowe asked. "Caim, not to be rude, but may I ask you a few more questions first?"

"Um, sure," Caim replied.

"Do you remember anything about the Watchers?"

Caim looked utterly confused. "The who?"

"The goddess, then?"

"Goddess? What goddess?"

"The Empire and the Union, then?"

Caim looked more confused than he did before, and Nowe decided that Caim had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. Nowe noticed that the tea was starting to steam a little.

"I'm sorry, Nowe, but I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't know about the Watchers, goddess, or the Empire or the Union."

"It's okay," Nowe said while smiling. "Those things were all before you, anyway."

_Before me? _Caim thought, and his nostrils flared in annoyance. _What's that supposed to mean?_

"Do you remember anything about a red dragon?" At this question, Caim's face lit up as he smiled and his eyes brightened. He nodded enthusiastically. _So it's not completely lost on you after all, _Nowe thought while getting up and getting two cups.

"Yes," Caim said. "I have had dreams about her for the past month or so now. I feel as if they are guiding me to her. I have no idea where she is, though, and all I want to do is find her."

Nowe smiled sympathetically as he poured the steaming tea into two cups. "Ah, I can understand that."

Caim's face brightened a little more out of hope. "What do you know about us? Were we close?"

"When I saw you, yes, you were very close," Nowe said. He handed Caim his cup of tea. Nowe continued, "I wondered what sort of bond you two shared. You looked—" Indecision crossed Nowe's face at that moment, and he let his sentence trail off. Caim shot him a confused look as he blew on his tea.

"I looked… what?" Caim asked. At that moment, the door opened, and both Caim and Nowe twisted around to see who had come in. A blonde-haired, red-eyed woman strode into the kitchen, and her eyes widened as she laid them on Caim. Caim was confused as to her shocked reaction.

"Um, where is your bathroom?" he asked before the woman could speak.

"Upstairs, to the left," Nowe said. Caim thanked him and left. He could hear the woman and Nowe speaking in the kitchen.

"Nowe, why did you let Caim into our house?!" Nowe's wife sounded furious for reasons that Caim didn't understand.

"It's okay, Manah," Nowe said. "He's not the Caim that we knew."

"What?!" Manah asked, stunned. "How can he not be the Caim that we knew? The only Caim that I knew was a bloodthirsty murderer who enjoyed killing hordes of people and torturing me until I almost went insane!" Manah's voice had gotten louder and louder until she was almost screaming at Nowe. Caim felt bad for the other man—he wished that he could help him out a little.

"Calm down. He doesn't remember anything—the Watchers, the goddess, or the Empire or the Union. He only remembers Angelus."

"You mean Angelus, the red dragon?" Manah asked.

"Yes," Nowe said. He sounded gentle, possibly in an effort to further calm Manah down. "He's not the Caim that we knew anymore. He's gentle and kind. Please give him a chance, Manah. You'll see that he's different. Please trust me on this."

Manah sighed after a few minutes of silence. "All right," she said reluctantly. "If he shows any signs of being a murderer, though, he's leaving at once, no questions asked, and never coming back."

"Of course," Nowe said in agreement. Caim came out of the bathroom at that moment, and went downstairs again.

"Nowe, should I go now?" he asked. Manah looked at Caim warily.

"No," Nowe smiled. "I was just explaining to Manah here that you're different from the Caim that we knew."

"Ah," Caim said. He sat at his seat and sipped his tea. He scowled a little when he noticed that it had turned cold. "So, are you two married?"

"Yes," Manah said. "Happily so." She twirled the ring on her finger absently.

"Do you have any children?" Caim asked.

"Yes," Manah smiled. "They are all grown up now." Caim smiled and brightened at this. He then remembered that he had to be home by six, and felt alarmed for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Nowe asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"I have to be home soon," Caim said hurriedly. Nowe glanced out the window and noted the sun's position.

"Ah," he said before getting up. Manah stopped him and walked away. Caim wondered what was going on.

"Here," she said to Caim. She was holding a black sword with red lines on it. "It was yours in your past life. Take it."

Caim was taken aback, not sure what to say. _I never knew that this sword existed, _he thought. "Thank you," he said finally before taking the sword. "Nowe, you never finished your thought earlier. What did you mean?"

Nowe muttered, "Huh?" and remembered what Caim was talking about. "Ah, yes. That's right," he said. "Well, what I meant was…" he paused for a second. "Your life before this one was a living hell. You lost everything that you cared about and loved— your parents, your sister, your best friend, and your dragon. You lived for fifteen years without her, then, for the last three, started looking for her again. When you were finally reunited with her, you looked so happy. I remember you turning around and smiling at me gratefully, as if to say, 'Thank you.'" Nowe smiled sadly, and looked Caim square in the face. "Caim, I believe that you truly loved your dragon. When you find her again, make sure that you never let her go. To see you without the one you love would be heartbreaking."

Caim nodded. "I will, Nowe, don't worry," he said.

"Take care, Caim," Nowe said before bidding Caim farewell. Caim hurried back to his castle and just barely made it in time to change and meet the princess of Delmar, whose name was Louise Lamira. After greeting her and her parents, he took a good look at her. She had blonde hair that was pulled back in ringlets on either side of her head and a slender physique. Her green eyes seemed greedy to Caim, and he noticed that they always moved around. He was already getting an uneasy feeling from the princess' behavior. Her pink gown also turned him off from her—he didn't like the color pink.

The princess giggled and gave Caim a starry-eyed look. "Hello, Prince Caim," she said while curtsying hastily. She proceeded to fawn over Caim.

He sat in his usual seat at the table and proceeded to ask the usual questions of the princess. He found her to be incredibly shallow, only wanting to marry him for his money and looks. She was also messy when she ate, something that bothered Caim to no end. She was also quite rude, and insulted Furiae openly once. Furiae, true to her kind nature, smiled and gently took the princess down a few notches with her words. The princess and Caim stared, stunned, at Furiae's reaction. Caim then smiled proudly and reminded himself to tell Inuart about this later.

During a moment of silence, Caim swore he heard a noise that sounded suspiciously like passed gas from the princess. Caim, despite being put off by this, kept eating his dinner. A few minutes later, more sounds that sounded like the princess was passing gas were made, and Caim was completely appalled and disgusted. He almost said something, but his mother shot him a look that made him continue eating and asking questions.

"So, is there anything that you want to see after dinner?" Caim asked her.

The princess slurped her soup and then replied, "Your mother's garden, if you don't mind."

After dinner, the princess nearly forced Caim to go outside and show her his mother's garden. In the moonlight, Caim realized how beautiful it was. His chain of thought was broken by the princess' next sentence.

"I've always wanted to meet you in person," she began. She then sighed in a dreamy way, and continued, "You've captured my heart with tales of your bravery and good deeds. Honestly, what princess _wouldn't _want you? I mean," at this, she snorted and giggled obnoxiously again, "you're so _attractive_. You know, I write letters to you in a diary, and then I write back to myself and pretend that it's you." The more the princess spoke, the more Caim was convinced that she was weird and that he hated her. He then felt the princess pull him down beside her on the stone bench. Caim then felt the princess cup his chin with her right hand and pull his mouth closer to hers. Caim realized that she was about to kiss him. He pulled back and glared at her after swatting her hand away.

"What do you think you're doing?" he growled. He made no attempt to hide his disgust towards her after his lip curled up in scorn.

The princess looked miffed at Caim's rejection.

"Your lips looked so soft," she said in a sort of whining tone. Caim jerked his head away from her and uttered a low "Hmph!" The princess looked hurt, and Caim felt a little sorry for her. His pity was wiped away by a strong desire for her to leave immediately. After Caim glared at her a few more times, she then stormed inside. Caim tried not to show his hatred towards her during dessert, but he was sure that a few stray glares were noticed by his parents and Furiae. Before he knew it, it was time for her to leave.

Caim, grateful that she had left, changed into his nightclothes and lay in bed for a few minutes. He was a little troubled by how much he hated the princess and how forward he was about it. He then remembered some of the things that she said, and he felt that he was justified in his feelings towards her. After deciding to talk to Furiae about it the next day, he slept contentedly.


End file.
